Former Tottenham Hotspur star Jermaine Jenas has said that Arsenal made a poor piece of business with Nicolas Pepe after he failed to justify his price tag. The Ivory Coast international made the surprise switch to the Gunners during last summer’s transfer window after the club spent a club-record fee of £72m for his signature.
However, his performances have been pretty average over the course of the campaign and he has registered only eight goals and nine assists across all competitions. While some would feel that he has needed the time to adapt, Jenas believes the Ivorian can be considered as a flop alongside Newcastle United’s Joelinton.
He told: “Oh yeah. That’s up there with Joelinton. It is the money, it is as simple as that. The amount of money spent on him in terms of what he has delivered and what you can actually see. A lot of people talk about Thierry Henry’s first season at Arsenal and it didn’t quite go for him straight away. They kind of lean on that a lot in these type of signings. But I’ve just not seen it with this particular player and it looks like bad business.”
The north London giants have endured a disappointing 2019/2020 season and they are set to finish below the top-six for the first time in 25 years. That is something that won’t go well with the supporters and it remains to be seen whether the club are prepared to reinforce the squad significantly at the end of the campaign.
Despite a mediocre season, the club could finish on a high note with the FA Cup final against Chelsea. They have a good record with a record 13 titles and they should fancy their chances of winning the famous old competition once more. Prior to that game, the Gunners will conclude their Premier League season with a home encounter against Watford.